Railway switch and signal apparatus.



I L} GRIFFITH.

RAILWAY SWITCH AND SIGNAL APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 20, 1905.

Patented Dec.8,1-908. 7

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LAWRENCE GRIFFITH, OF YONKERS, NEW YORK, ASSIGN OR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO FEDERAL SIGNAL COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

RAILWAY SWITCH AND SIGN ALIAPPARATUS.

Patented Dec. 8, 1908.

Serial No. 279,333.

Toall whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LAWRENCE GRIFFITH,

a citizen of the United States of America, re-

siding in the city of Yonkers, county of Westchester, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements erating or controlling the operation of railway switches, signals and the like by means of electricity, and comprises a ste by step movement of two or more such rai way traffic controlling devices and devices whereby the operation of such apparatus is rendered more certain than has heretofore been accomplished.

Reference may be made to my U. S. Letters Patent No. 776,238 and my ending appllcations for U. S. Patents, 0. 151,578, filed April 8, 1902, and 231,514, filed November 5, 1904.

In order that my invention may be clearly understood I shall first describe in detail the manner in which I carry the same into practice and then point out the novel features of the invention in the claims, reference being had to the accom anying drawings forming part of the speci cation, in which similar parts are designated by like characters in all the views.

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of the invention as applied to a cross-over or two pairs of switch points operated by electric motors. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the switch-points operated by electrically controlled or governed pneumatic motors.

In Fig. 1, A-A are the main rails, BB the siding, OC the switch points operatively connected with the main rails A-A, and DD the switch-points operatively connected with the siding rails B-B.

c is a motion-plate for operating the switch points OC in the usual manner, and d a motion plate for operating switch-points Upon movement of the operators bar or lever 30 until roller 31 meets the righthand abutment of horizontal portion 32 of slot 33-3234, bridge 35 Wlll be moved into contact between contact springs 36-37, and motion plate 0 will be moved to operate switch points OC as follows: wire 1, wire 2, contact springs 36 and 37 bridge 35, wire 3, contact springs 39 and 40, bridge 41, wire 4, field 5 of motor X, and therethrough by wire 6 to battery. Motor X being thereby energized, switch or controller M will be moved in correspondence with motion plate 0 so as to break connection upon the final movement of the motor between contact springs 39 and 40, connection having been made between contact springs 42 and 43 by bridge 44, and connection broken between contact springs 45 and 46 by bridge 47, and connectlon made between contact springs 48 and 49 by bridge 50. At the same time contact will be made by bridge 47 between contact springs 51 and 52, and contact will have been broken between contact s rin s 53 and 54.

The switch-points O and motion-plate 0 having been moved to their fullest extent, motor X has been cut out of circuit by bridge 41 moving from between contact springs 40 and 39, and the energy from the battery or other source of electric energy 100 now energizes motor Y as follows: wire 1, wire 2, contact springs 36 and 37, bridge 35, wire 3, contact springs 51 and 52, bridge 47 wire 7, contact springs 55 and 56, bridge 57, wire 8, field 5 of motor Y, and thus by wire 6 to battery, so that motor Y will be energized to move motion-plate d with its switch points D-D, and with it switch or controller N so as to break connection between contact springs 55 and 56, and make connection between contact springs 58 and 59 by bridge 60, and, at the same time, break connection between contact springs 61 and 62 by bridge 63, and make connection between contact springs 64 and 66 by said bridge 63. Energy from the source 100 will now energize solenoid or electric unit 67 as follows: wires 1, and 9, solenoid 67, wire 12, contact springs 68 and 69, bridge 7 0, wire 13, contact springs 66 and 64, bridge 63, wire 14, contact springs 48 and 49, bridge 50, wires 6 and 6 to battery. Solenoid 67 being thus energized, its armature will operate roller 31 in inclined portion 34 of slot 333234, and thereby break connection between contact springs 68 and 69 by bridge 70, and make connection by said bridge 70 between contact springs 71 and 72.

It will of course be understood that stops 73 and 74 operate to move said bridge 70 during a portion only of the stroke of rod 75, which rod 75 is attached to bar 30, and moves with it, carrying also bridge 33.

Should the switch points OC, and therefore motion-plate c, be moved while the apparatus is in the position shown in Fig. 1, connection will be immediately made between contact springs 42 and 43 by bridge 44 and motor X energized to replace said switch points and motion plates as follows: wire 1, wire 2, contact springs 90 and 91, bridge 35, wire 18, contact springs 42 and 43, bridge 44, wire 19', field 20 of motor X and therethrough and by wire 6 to battery.

Should switch-points DD, and therefore motion-plate d, be moved while the apparatus is in the position shown in Fig. 1, connection will be immediately made between contact springs 96 and 97 by bridge 95, and the motor Y energized to replace said switchpoints DD and motion-plate d as follows? wire 1, wire 2, contact springs 90 and 91, bridge 35, wires 18 and 24, contact springs 97 and 96, bridge 95', wire 25, contact springs 59 and 58, bridge 60, wire 22, field 20" of motor Y, and therethrough by wire 6 to battery.

In going from reverse position to normal like circuits are made, and the same results accomplished, it being understood that on the reverse movement and position, contact springs 71 and 72 are the counterparts of contact springs 68 and 69, contact springs 37 and 36 the counterparts of contact springs 91 and 90 and so on. For instance, from reverse position to normal, upon movement of the operators bar or lever 30- until roller 31 meets the left-hand abutment of horizontal portion 32 of slot 3332-34, bridge 35 will be moved into contact between contact springs 90 and 91, and motion-plate 0 will be moved to operate switch-points C-C as follows: wire 1, wire 2, contact springs 90 and 91, bridge 35, wire 18, contact springs 43 and 42, bridge 44, wire 19, field 20 of motor X and therethrough by wire 6 to battery. Motor X being thereby energized, switch or controller M will be moved in correspondence with motion-plate a so as to break connection upon the final movement of the motor between contact springs 43 and 42. Connection having been made between contact springs 39 and 40 by bridge 41, and connection broken between contact springs 52 and 51 by bridge 47, and connection made between contact springs 54 and 53 by bridge 50, at the same time contact will be made by bridge 47 between contact springs 46 and 45, and contact will have been broken'between contact springs 48 and 49. It will be seen, therefore, that in going from either normal or reverse position, the motion-plates c and cl always move in the same orderc first and then (1.

In Fig. 2 I have shown my invention a plied to an electro-pneumatic system. n this case the motion-plates c and d with their respective switch points OC and DD are operated by electrically controlled pneumatic motors. The electric units or electromagnets 50 and 200 correspond with fields 5 and 20 of motor X of Fig. 1, and electric units or electro-magnets 50 and 200 correspond with fields 5 and 20 of motor Y of Fig. 1. Motion plate 0 is operated by piston 205 of pneumatic motor 210. Pipe 211 supplies power from valve 212' to operate piston 205 in one direction, and pipe 213 from valve 214 to operate said piston in the other direction in the usual way. Said valves 212 and 214 and motor 210 are more particularly described in my pending ap. lication for U. S. Patent No. 231,514, ed November 5, 1904. Motion plate cl is similarly controlled and operated by valves 2.15 and 216 and motor 217.

In Fig. 2 I have also shown the solenoid 67 cooperating with the operators quadrant 30 of my Patent No. 776,238 instead of with the stroke completing bar 30.

V is a fuse and W a cut out boX for breaking the circuit in the usual way.

. to battery by metallic circuit as distinguished from grounding.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In apparatus for operating switches, signals and the like, the combination of a plurality of motion lates or devices to be moved, and a control ing device therefor with means whereby, upon a movement of said controlling device in either direction, said motion-plates will be moved one after the other in the same order.

2. In electric apparatus for operating switches, si nals and the. like, the combination of a plurality of motion-plates or devices to be moved, and a controlling device therefor with means whereby, upon a movement of said controlling device in either direction, said motion-plates will be moved one after the other in the same order.

3. In electric apparatus for operating switches, signals, and the like, the. combination of a plurality of electrically-governed motion-plates or devices to be moved, and a controlling device therefor, with means whereby, upon a movement of said controlmotion-plates so as to replace the same upon ling device in either direction said motionits partial displacement from its proper poplates will be moved one after the other in sition.

the same order. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set switches, signals and the like having a plu- 1905.

rality of electrically governed motion-plates LAWRENCE GRIFFITH. or devices to be moved, the circuit of one In presence of being controlled by another, means for ener- FRANCIS L. FIELD,

10 gizing the governing devices of each of said I H. V. N. PHILIP.

4. In electric apparatus for operating my hand this eighteenth day of September, 15 

